Turning Sadness Into Action

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Brent King, right, and Kelly King, left, parents of missing teenager Chelsea King hug during a candlelight vigil held at St. Michael's Catholic Church Tuesday March 2, 2010 in Poway, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

The parents of murdered Poway teenager Chelsea King aren't shutting out the rest of the world, mourning privately. Instead, they are using their raw emotion surrounding their daughter's death to push for action.

Brent and Kelly Kingheld a community forum Tuesday night as part of their campaign to demand for tougher laws against sex offenders.

“Everyone of us in this audience has a voice," Brent King told the audience at the Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo.. A voice gives us power, the only ones that don’t have the power is our children, that is what Chelsea's Light is all about.”

The Kings and State Rep. Nathan Fletcher said they're determined to strengthen state laws to protect children. They want to pass Chelsea's law which focuses on a one-strike provision for violent sexual predators, better GPS tracking and parole reform.

King Family Focuses on Action

Law enforcement officials and an assistant district attorney answered questions from the public. Many local residents voiced frustration frustrated.

For Vista mother Heather Ambrose, this shouldn't still be an issue. “As a mom, I am done," she said. "This was the last straw for me, hearing about Chelsea.”

For Sue Drury, a Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident, the session focused on the future. ” What they did was focus on what we can do and what the laws are right now and how we can change them. You can feel that something is really going to change,” she said.